1. Technical Field
The present invention relates generally to fiber-optic cables used in telecommunication systems, and in particular relates to bi-directional tap assemblies arranged at mid-span access locations of two-way fiber topologies.
2. Technical Background
Optical fiber is used for a variety of broadband telecommunication applications that involve voice, video and/or data transmissions. Such fiber-based telecommunication systems utilize fiber-optic cables (e.g., “distribution cables”) that include a number of mid-span access locations at which one or more optical fibers are terminated and interconnected with a branch cable or a drop cable. The mid-span access locations provide an interconnection point, also referred to as “access point” or “tap point” (or just “tap” for short) from the distribution cable. The interconnection point can include a tap assembly that connects optical fibers in the distribution cable to another location, such as another network distribution cable or termination point, or directly to an end user, commonly referred to as a subscriber, thereby extending an “all optical” communications network closer to the subscriber. In this regard, fiber optic networks are being developed that deliver “fiber-to-the-curb” (FTTC), “fiber-to-the-business” (FTTB), “fiber-to-the-home” (FTTH), or “fiber-to-the-premises” (FTTP), referred to generically as “FTTx.”
Tap assemblies are common for one-way fiber topologies wherein optical signals travel in a single direction. Such taps are typically formed by accessing an optical fiber in a fiber optical cable and cutting the fiber to form two fiber sections. One of the fiber sections is terminated (e.g., spliced to a connectorized section of optical fiber) to form the tap, while the other section of the fiber becomes “dark fiber” because it is not utilized in the one-way topology. This approach, however, cannot be used for two-way fiber topologies because the fibers carry signals in two directions. This means that one section of the fiber cannot be disregarded in forming the tap.